Players Most Likely To Switch To MLB In 2007?

Hiroshima pitcher Hiroki Kuroda (May) [Japan Baseball Daily Central League Report] and Fighters third baseman Michihiro Ogasawara (mid-season) [Japan Baseball Daily Pacific League Report] will be free agents, and one or both of them could make a switch. Kuroda would be more likely to make a switch in my opinion, as I see Ogasawara staying in the NPB. I see both of them as very successful in the majors.

At the moment, Ogasawara is now playing first base, not third base.

I don't think Kuroda could cut it in the States. I think he is too inconsistant, and I think he has a tired arm from all the innigs he has logged with the Carp.

Are you the Tom Moore who works for the Tigers? I have seen you in Japan a couple of years back.

Ya never know; could be Trey Moore, whose trademark 'tache inspired large numbers of people in the crowd to stick pieces of ∩-shaped cardboard to their upper lips.

Why would Trey Moore want to know who is going to the big leagues?

Jerry: I'm not. Common name. Grew up on a hill in Oakland, CA that had 70 houses with 5 Thomas Moores in 5 different houses.

I was just play very deep Fantasy Baseball. Was the first to draft Japanese ballplayers. Got both Godzilla and Baby Godzilla in same draft (deepy deepy). That brought on an avalanche of derision from my fellow owners - only to later open everyones eyes to the great talent Japan has to offer the world of baseball.

Also, I like to follow Cuban baseball as well. I drafted Kendry Morales 4 years 5 years ago. Now only the current insanity in Washington prevents the steady flow of wonderful Cuban players from coming over.

Thanks for the info. Keep it coming.

I am looking at doing some research into all free agents heading into the '07 season. This forum has listed several, but is there somewhere out there with a complete list of all free agents heading into '07 season? My goal is to follow their '06 seasons?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I'm just trying to resurrect this thread.

Any other speculations on possible 2007 MLB arrivals? So far the only promising leads sound like Koji Uehara and Hiroki Kuroda. Are there any other hunches any of you have?

John Boyer
Easton, PA

- Eenie, Meenie, Miny, Mo, and Nozomi.

I can't remember who originally posted that, but I don't claim it to be my own.

Let's not do this until it's relevent.

I hear Nozomi is looking pretty good this spring.

any word on ishii the reliever from yakult or iwamura?

Any more news on Pitcher Hiroki Kuroda? Is he going to pitch in the States in 2007?

DAISUKE MATSUZAKA. The lions will post him for a huge fee, especially after his WBC MVP performance. If they don't post him, they will either have to sign him to a new contract or lose him to free agency, neither of which would earn them money. Plus, Seibu (the company) has been losing money of late, and could use some of the transfer fee.

Do any of you think that Alex Ochoa will make the switch back to the MLB next year? He's having his best year so far, and I would assume that he has some interest in going back to America after playing in Japan for 4 seasons.

Adam Riggs maybe? Does anybody think so?

Does anybody think Nishioka could play in the majors?

What about LaRocca?

I realize it's been a month since the last post on this thread, but it's relevant to point out that Adam Riggs is having a really productive year. Also, another ex-Angel, Alex Ochoa, had a great all-star game and is a mainstay on the first-place Dragons. If anybody connected with the Angels sees this, how about bringing these guys back? They've accepted reserve roles in the past, have never been "problem players," and they've been productive. They can play several different positions and have given their teams versatility and flexibility before. They are showing what they can do in Japan and I, for one, wish they were back in Anaheim.

- Do any of you think that Alex Ochoa will make the switch back to the MLB next year? He's having his best year so far, and I would assume that he has some interest in going back to America after playing in Japan for 4 seasons.

I hope he does come back, he'd be a valuable man on a contender, and he has a lot of great baseball left in him, combined with a lot of experience. The Orioles have had an awful outfield ever since they failed to aquire him when he tested free agency.

I doubt Ochoa will return next year, but yes, I do share the agony of the Bobby Bonilla trade that sent Ochoa to the Mets.

I'll bet Shane Spencer returns to MLB. He would be a great addition to a team like the Red Sox.

- I'll bet Shane Spencer returns to MLB. He would be a great addition to a team like the Red Sox.

Since Gabe Kapler is there right now, I'd say GMs in MLB don't care a lick whether Americans do well in NPB or not. They'll just take somebody who is available or cheap. The Americans who do well in NPB usually stay in NPB and don't worry about the "prestige" of being in the majors. Most MLB teams are not willing to spend what it takes to have quality position player depth, since pitchers break their budgets. Spencer and Ochoa both were victims of the 2003 collusion against non-tendered and arbitration-eligible veterans as MLB owners made a conscious effort to bring payrolls down. Both have lots of MLB experience which would be helpful to a lot of teams, but they won't be welcome in MLB unless they agree to a pay cut.

I think that Riggs would make a good addition to the Indians maybe, left, or first, or maybe just a utility guy. But they have Martinez and Garko at first. Any body's thoughts?

Riggs certainly deserves a shot somewhere, he played a lot of second base in the Dodgers' organization. However, the one American in Japan with a significant big league track record is Alex Ochoa - eight seasons with a .279 career average and he has tools, particularly the best arm I've ever seen since Clemente. Ochoa's ratios of hits and RBIs per 100 at bats have been remarkably similar in both MLB and with the Dragons. He played in every Angels' post-season victory as a defensive replacement in 2002, including game seven of the World Series. How did he ever end up in Japan?

Are there any players that are Corner Outfielders/First Basemen whom are great hitters? Like a translated OPS above .800 or so?

Look up Alex Ochoa's on-base plus slugging percentage with Cincinnati in 2000, it will amaze you. What's special about Alex, in the context of who's going to MLB discussions, is that you don't have to guess how he will do in the majors. You know what you will get from the guy and any team that wants to win could benefit from having him as a back-up outfielder. No, I'm not his agent, I've just always thought he was an overlooked player for many years.

This is from a recent interview of Bob Bavasi, who runs the JapanBall.com site:

Do you expect any other players to be posted this winter?

Yakult Swallows (Tokyo) third baseman Akinori Iwamura has been talked about as a candidate to be posted this winter as are RHP Kaz Saito of the Softbank Hawks (Fukuoka) and LHP Kei Igawa with the Hanshin Tigers (Osaka).

Which Japanese free agents could end up on Major League rosters next spring?

RHP Hiroki Kuroda of the Carp will be a free agent, not subject to posting, and you hear his name bandied about in this regard.

Right now I seriously doubt that either Igawa or Saitoh will be posted. There have been rumors that Igawa would be posted, but as of right now, Hanshin has said Igawa would be back in 2007, and their financial situation is fine right now.

Plus, there is no way Softbank would or should post Saitoh, why would Softbank post their ace, when he is no where near free agency and is their best pitcher? To do so would be suicide, and you would have to wonder about Softbank's ability to run a team.

This Japan Times article says the Swallows will let Iwamura go to the MLB. Does this make it official now?

Alex Ochoa is probably available now. Last week the Drags said they were not going to offer him a contract next year. What a waste. A media report said his defense started to slip in 2006, but that wasn't attributed to the Drags, and I think that's just someone's excuse or rationalization. He didn't have an outstanding year, but he was solid - .273/15/77 - good enough for third on the team in HR and RBI.

Trying to think what the Dragons bosses were thinking: they're probably trying to work Fujii into the lineup, and they have enough other outfielders (Fukudome, Inoue, Ueda if he comes back, Hidenori, Fujii, and Tatsunami/Morino), so they thought he was an acceptable loss. But none of these guys at this point has both the bat and the defense Alex has (except Fukudome of course), and it seems like a snub or a little bit of scapegoating. I'm not really pleased with the move. He's never done anything but work his butt off for four years, no whining or complaining. I hope Matsuzaka has inflated MLB prices enough so as to help Alex cash in next year.

The Drags also cut Mitsunobu Takahashi, and several coaches, with no real explanation. Takahashi went straight to the Tigers, and he'll probably beat the heck out of us next year, if the Tigers can figure out where to play him. He was the Drags' go-to guy when they needed a right-handed pinch hitter, so I was wondering what was up when they brought Hidenori in to pinch hit against the Fighters.

I remember that Alex signed a AAA deal with St. Louis in Feb. of 2003, then left the Cardinals just a couple of weeks later to join the Dragons after the Kevin Millar caper, when Millar had refused to go to Nagoya.

My questions: do the Cardinals still retain rights to Ochoa? Is Alex obligated to report to St. Louis if he wishes to re-enter MLB, or did Chunichi compensate the Cardinals in some way, for taking their player?

- My questions: do the Cardinals still retain rights to Ochoa? Is Alex obligated to report to St. Louis if he wishes to re-enter MLB, or did Chunichi compensate the Cardinals in some way, for taking their player?

No, Ochoa is a free agent, free to sign with any team he wishes. St.Louis isn't entitled to any rights or compensations. He's free to sign with any team in any league, including St.Louis if he wishes.

Hello guys. I play in a simulation baseball league were we are allowed to draft anyone in the world and retain them as long as we want to. Any guesses who might get posted or be FA from Japan within the next 3 years? I'm looking for impact players only. Thanks!

You should see Hichori Morimoto run into walls. He's totally an impact player.

Michihiro Ogasawara is currently a Japanese FA and could sign with a major league team.

Kazumi Saitoh will likely be posted next season.

I believe Kosuke Fukudome could be posted next season, but we'll see.

Koji Uehara will 100% sign with a major league team when he becomes a FA after the 2007 season.

Hiroki Kuroda just resigned with the Carp, but has a clause in his contract to again pursue the major leaguers after 2007 season.

Hirotoshi Ishii would have been posted this off-season if his shoulder hadn't required surgery.

Kenshin Kawakami could possibly be posted in 2008.

Seung Yeop Lee can again pursue the major leagues if the Giants win a Japan Series before his contract ends.

Shinnosuke Abe will likely sign with a major leauge team after becoming a FA with with Giants in 2009.

It is very unlikely that Ogasawara will sign with a MLB team, not to mention he hasn't mentioned any interest in the majors. It is likely that the Yomiuri Giants will sign the infielder, who is still very popular from his days when the Fighters played in the Tokyo Dome.

Saitoh will not be posted next season, to do so would be suicide. Plus, Saitoh will not be a free agent for a long time. Not to mention, that Masayoshi Son, who is the owner of Softbank, wants to turn this team into a world class team, and posting Saitoh would do anything but that.

Finally, it is unlikely that Lee will be very intriguing to major league teams after his contract is up. Lee will be 34 at the end of his 4 year contract. It is also highly unlikely that Yomiuri will win the Nippon Series on their current path.

Ogasawara will probably sign with a Japanese team, but he did surprisingly (and suddenly) declare his free agency while playing the Major League All-Star tour this off-season after performing well in the games. He could likely get a good contract in the MLB, and he's 33 so he'll likely never get another chance.

Wrong, Saitoh will be a FA after the 2008 season. He is only signed by Softbank for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. He could walk after the 2008 season, sign with a major league club, while Softbank would not get any compensation at all. Saitoh would unquestionably earn more money in the majors than he would in Japan. I think he has a very good chance of being posted after the 2007 season.

I have no idea about Lee other than what his contract says. He wanted more than any major league team felt he deserved.

Maybe it's just me, but despite how much I adore Saitoh, and despite his dominance the last few years, I think a lot of MLB teams would see his history of shoulder troubles and stay away from him. And I too don't see why Softbank would post him. It's really not always just about the money.

Ogasawara isn't going to the MLB. His wife would kill him. I'm under the impression he declared free agency mostly because he hadn't arrived at an agreement with the Fighters by the declaration deadline, and was still debating whether he wanted to move back home to the Tokyo area.

And it'd be terrible if he went to the MLB. Coaches would take one look at his swing, nearly have a heart attack, and screw him up the way they tried to do with Ichiro. It's just not happening.